Last week, a former Jamaican cricketer died in Kingston Public Hospital. Years of cocaine abuse and living rough had ravaged beyond recognition the mind and body of the man once referred to as ‘the right-handed Gary Sobers’.
Those present say it was one of the best catches ever seen at the Kensington ground in Barbados: Graham Yallop’s powerful flick from a Colin Croft thunderbolt, miraculously caught one-handed by a spreadeagled Richard Austin.
“It was a superb take,” says ex-Australian skipper Yallop, whose stay at the crease was terminated three short of a half century.
That was in 1978. What troubles Yallop now is that in the decades that followed, Austin slipped so easily through the cracks. “You wonder what West Indian cricket could have done to help him out better?”
In the late 1970s and early ’80s Richard Austin was a gifted allrounder: a hard-hitting batsman and offspinner/medium pacer, who threatened to became part of the champion West Indian side that steamrolled all comers in the 1980s.
He played two Tests against Australia in 1978 and four Supertests against the World Series Cricket Australians a year later, but his decision to join the West Indies rebel tours of South Africa in the mid ’80s proved his downfall. He would be forever ostracised by his countrymen for accepting filthy lucre from the apartheid regime.
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell witnessed one of Austin’s finest moments – at VFL Park in January 1979 when the then 24-year-old blasted 77 opening the batting against Dennis Lillee and co. and followed it up with 4-85.
Chappell says Austin was “always different.
“I got on well with him, but he lived for the moment. He was more laidback than the most laid-back West Indian. You could say he was Joe Cool before it had even been invented.”
Even then there were rumours about Austin’s drug taking, but his talent was good enough to prevail. The trouble was, Clive Lloyd was assembling the most fearsome pace battery in the history of cricket and opportunities for spinning allrounders were limited. By the time of the first Lawrence Rowe-led rebel tour, Austin was a fringe player, unable to command a regular place in the Test side and vulnerable to offers.
In May 2003 during the Australian tour of the Caribbean, a bedraggled Austin sat in a gutter on the border of upper and lower Kingston, surrounded by vagrants, eyes bloodshot with the effects of rum, and attempted to justify his decision to join the rebels.
“They welcomed us in Soweto – most of the black folks,” he rasped.
“We spoke to them and they said it was a joy to see us playing against South Africa. WSC was about making money… I signed the contract because of my livelihood when I was growing up,” he said, referring to his childhood in the violent ghetto of Jones Town.
But when Austin returned from the second rebel tour in 1984, still only 29, he was banned from any form of cricket for life, and unlike Rowe and other better-off players who fled to the US, was forced to live among men and women who despised him, a pariah in his own home town.
Being shunned destroyed him. He sought refuge in cocaine and life on the street, despite owning a house and cars bought from the proceeds of his life as a cricket mercenary. Shame and an appetite for self-destruction seemed to drive him.
“When you live on the street, you live with street people,” he said. “If you want to party with them sometimes, I have to do it, to be alright, to live with them.”
In the ensuing years, Austin would set up camp outside the West Indies team hotel when they stayed in Kingston, begging for handouts and regaling former teammates and the next generation of Calypso kings with entertaining stories of his chequered past. By this stage, he was more widely – and affectionately – known by his street name, ‘Danny Germs’, and as local attitudes towards the rebel tours began to soften, coaching offers rolled in. But he could never stick it out – always returning to the lure of the gutter, where no man has the right to judge another.
Pace legend and fellow Jamaican Michael Holding was bitterly opposed to the rebel tours, refusing the humiliating invitation to become an “honorary white”, but he always sympathised with Austin’s plight, while stating that “players have to make sure their future is secure”.
It’s a far cry from the situation here, where the Australian Cricket Association has a fund to look after players who have represented their state at least once, but as Chappell points out, “There are not the same structures in the Caribbean because cricket there is so economically distressed.”
Towards the end of his life, Austin became more and more unpredictable: at one point officials had to intervene to stop his ranting at a Sabina Park Test match; he also turned up out of it at a talent competition staged by a fast food chain and belted out an Earth Wind & Fire song. Yet throughout most of his decline he still had the option of returning permanently to the house his brother Oliver maintained for him.
He never would. Austin was 60.
Ashley Gray is a sports journalist and writer who has written for The Age, Sun Herald Rugby League Week, Inside Cricket and Four Four Two. He is currently the associate editor of Men’s Fitness magazine.
Jeff from "OZ"
Guest
What a great page and I just found it by mistake , I now live in the Philippines and never -never see or hear anythink about Cricket the only thing that I miss (exsept the grand-kids, Yes it makes you think about westindies with the right coaches and someone with the love of the game they could still be in the top 3 teams in the world what has happend to all the great players from yesterday like we have in "OZ" that get into Coaching and helping the young blokes coming on maybe even our state teams taking one or two players on there books to help them out for a few seasons and maybe we will get back to the good old days when we could still stand up to five fast bowlers that bowl it a bit short at times but make a game of it and like the old days we will the be waiting for next time the windies are touring to see a bit of good cricket , Not the stuff that we used to get from Boycott and Brealy and co, Still not much change from the old country now anyway, But thanks again for the great page really enjoyed it and the blokes that made a comment as well as the GURU, Thanks Mate
hein cloete
Guest
These players went on the rebel tour to earn money which they would never have earned in West Indies in their lifetime. It was a godsend for most of them. Most of them were near retirement anyway, with no chance of making the Windies squad. After the tour the players who performed were rewarded with contracts for the local provinces. Malcolm Marshall played for Natal for instance. Shaun Pollock credits Malcolm Marshall as his bowling coach. Desmond Haynes played for Western Province. I don't think they got life bans, most got 3 year bans but judging by their age it might as well have been a life ban. This ban was only relevant to Windies cricket, so it meant zero anyway. They continued to earn money playing in SA after the tours better than they could have earned at home. The only one I remember wanting to play for the Windies again was Desmond Haynes. After his ban expired they said he can not be picked as he did not play the required amount of Red Stripe cricket, because he was playing for Province. Stop trying to push the shame part, these players have a right to earn a living. The one's with drug and other problems had them long before these tours. What you could investigate is if these tours weren't the start of match fixing. When they arrived it was evident that a lot of them were over the hill. Local teams would murder them. We always had a suspicion that before the so called first test a couple games was fixed in the Rebels favour to ensure good ticket sales for the tests. . What ters . red ,t anywere tkO DON'T iiioIiN A
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
"Lots of wasted talent" indeed, Danno74. What struck me most about the Austin story was that he could have lived a relatively peaceful and secure life - he owned a house and cars - but chose instead to flounder on the streets up to his eyeballs in drugs. Was it shame that drove him to the gutter? He had several stints in therapy as well, but to no avail...
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
I agree Camo McD. From the outside at least, Croft would seem to be a hard man. He doesn't suffer fools. But how can you not feel for your teammates who ended up on life's scrap heap?
Camo McD
Roar Guru
Wonderful piece. Sad story. A tough decision for those cricketers who were world class and on the fringes of the great WI team but unable to either make a living or find a job whilst they pursued cricket. I've heard Colin Croft speak a couple of times - you can tell he is still conflicted about going to SA even if he doesn't necessarily admit he regrets it.
Nudge
Guest
Well said diggercane
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
Yes, Stephen, it seems everyone who went on those rebel tours has been tainted in some way. Even captain Lawrence Rowe, who is still revered in some parts of Jamaica, and is now based in Florida, has his problems. A couple of years ago, a Sabina Park stand was named after him - a great national honour. But then it was withdrawn when people complained that he hadn't properly apologised for his part in the rebel tours. He is trying to rehabilitate his image with the Lawrence Rowe Foundation, which has been set up to help kids who have fallen behind at school.
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
The main similarity between the two eras, Elizabeth, is that all the islands on the West Indies are essentially still "second world" economically speaking, so it's no surprise current cricketers from the Caribbean take advantage of the IPL and other T20 cash-a-thons in order to swell their bank accounts. Now however, their riches are far in excess of anything previous generations could have dreamt of. Whether it leads to happiness or not is another question....
Stephen Martin
Guest
Sylvester Clarke was another of the rebels and the top wicket taker on the tour. He had played 11 test for the West Indies, including one in Pakistan when he started a riot by lobbing a brick back into the crowd, before he went to South Africa. He was the most feared bowler in English county cricket through the 1980s, and also played for many years in South Africa after the initial impression he made. In what appears to be a common theme, he was also an alcoholic and died at 44.
Danno74
Guest
I remember that 1983 rebel Windies tour beat a very strong South Africa on their soil in a test series. Shame about what happened to David Murray too with drug addiction as he was a good keeper, lots of wasted talent.
formeropenside
Guest
Sad story. Agree that its a shame we never got to see Stephenson at Test level.
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
Yes, it seems Stephenson was a mighty talent, Pope Paul VII. Hard to say whether Austin would have played for the Windies again if he hadn't toured with the rebels. His career hadn't really kicked on - and the Windies pace attack was very dominant, edging out non-fast-bowling types like himself. You can see why he took the US$130,000 to go to South Africa...
Ashley Gray
Roar Guru
You are right about Jim Allen, Sheek. Though he did play 3 WSC Super Tests, which as far as I am concerned, is the real deal. To this day In Montserrat he's considered a hero. Not many Montserrat sportsmen of note apparently... When you think of the Windies guys who missed out in that era: Padmore, Collis King, Austin, Stephenson - it's amazing the depth they had.
Digby
Roar Guru
Great peice, albeit depressing. Thank you.
Elizabeth
Guest
Great story. I wonder how much support today's so-called "privateer" West Indian cricketers will get if they run into trouble?
Pope Paul VII
Guest
We all make mistakes but it seems he suffered more than most. Difficult to say how his career may have gone with the difficulty to get a gig and his own particular personality. The one who would almost certainly have played test cricket but for the SA tour was all rounder, and one time Tasmanian spearhead, Franklyn Stephenson. He was a mighty bowler and a fair bat.
Sailosi
Guest
From the stories my dad has told me he was an incredible talent. My dad remembers him from the Lancashire League in the late 70's. I think he may have played with Enfield. It's an all too common story in West Indies cricket. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
sheek
Roar Guru
I remember Richard Austin. He had played a couple of tests for the Windies against Australia in 1978 before defecting to become part of the WSC Windies for the 1978/79 season. Although he didn't set the world on fire, you could see the potential. More so than Viv Richards' Antiguan mate Jim Allen who also came at the same time with a bigger reputation but did less. It's a tragedy what happened to Austin. And also his team mates who toured South Africa. I believe their tour did good, making whites realise that blacks were their equal, not to be denigrated. Of course, black nations themselves had a less tolerant view of the rebel Windies than white nations had. It seems every era has its craziness, & apartheid was the craziness of the 60s through the 80s. Of course, apartheid had been around longer than three decades, but it was during the 60s-80s that the world finally took notice. Richard Austin is a sad story. In another time he could have been a much respected test cricketer.